Yellow fish swimming in a fish tank.

(Photo credit to Dominic – he promised Isabelle he would take pictures of the fish in the fish tank when we were at Memorial Sloan Kettering in February because she’s on a big Finding Nemo kick right now ❤️)

It’s time for monthly favorites!

Here is everything we used and loved lately…

Food

Built Bars – Over the last couple of years, I have tried A LOT of different protein bars. I wanted to have something easy to throw into my purse for long days at the hospital or traveling, and I fell in love with Built Bars. You get a big punch of protein without a crazy amount of calories, fat, or sugar. The regular bars are good (salted caramel is my favorite), but I REALLY love the puffs! My favorite flavors are Cookie Dough Chunk Puff and Brownie Batter Puff.

Home

Powdered Tide Laundry Detergent – While I love, love, love the OxiClean White Revive Laundry Whitener I’ve been adding to my laundry since last summer, there are still a few stubborn stains (chocolate and pasta sauce, usually) that need a little extra help. I’ve found that making a paste of this powdered Tide with water, then applying it directly to the stain and, waiting for it to dry, then laundering it has been a game changer in stubborn stains. I still haven’t come across one I haven’t been able to get out this way!

Aquaphor Lip Repair – This has been my go-to lip balm for a couple of years now, and I love it so much, I feel like it works so much better than any of the others I’ve tried (though original Chapstick is a close second!). The kids all use it, too!

Emesis Bags – Okay, not the most glamorous thing to discuss, but I cannot recommend these enough if you have kids. I bought a pack of them nearly two years ago when Dominic began chemo (they were never on my radar before then). I kept some in the house, in the car, in my backpack for going back and forth to the hospital, and they served us well in that capacity. This past week, the stomach flu hit our house for the first time in nearly five years, and these were worth their weight in gold. Totally one of those things to have and never need than to wish you had in hindsight ;-)

Books and TV

I’ve been reading Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow this month and have enjoyed it, though I’m anxious to get it finished and start on Kristin Hannah’s newest book, The Women!

And here are the shows we’ve watched and liked this past month:

  • The Tower (BritBox)
  • Safe (Netflix)
  • Mrs. Sidhu Investigates (Acorn TV)
  • New episodes of All Creatures Great and Small (PBS Masterpiece)

Kids

Barbie DreamHouse – This was Isabelle’s big Christmas gift, truly the only thing she had asked for, and she has loved it so much. I love that she plays with it with her Barbies and other dolls and action figures, too. And Dominic loves to play with her; his super heroes often make an appearance at the house ;-)

Kids Chopsticks – I mentioned these in a Friday Things awhile back, but I got these a couple of years ago for the kids to use and it has made getting takeout sushi so much more fun for them! They are trainer chopsticks that you can eventually use like real ones, but they really take away any frustration at trying to master the regular ones.

Tinkering Labs Robotics Engineering Kit – This is one of the gifts we got Joseph for his birthday because he has expressed interest in robotics, and he’s really enjoyed the few projects he’s done so far. Additionally, we left everything out on the dining room table, and Dominic and Isabelle would pick things up here and there and build, create, etc. Love this set!

Snap Circuits Jr – Similarly, this was a Christmas gift for Dominic because he is our quintessential tinkering kid. He always wants to figure out how things work (rarely, if ever, asks for help) and loves taking things apart. I thought this would be a hit with him, and it was a slam dunk… he has loved creating different things with it!

What were your favorite finds this month?